Trusting Through the Fog

January 11, 2019

A sudden jolt from turbulence interrupts my calm. The pilot begins his decent, and I hear the landing gear lock into place. The New York City skyline is amazing, so I open the shade to peer out the window hoping to catch a glimpse of Lady Liberty. Instead of the skyline, all I can see is fog—deep, dense fog all around. How will the pilot see the runway? How will he find his way through the thick maze of white and gray? In my mind, I know the airplane instruments will guide him to a safe landing, but flying blind—I can’t imagine anyone would choose that over seeing what lies ahead. I know I wouldn’t. Having to trust the sovereignty of the instruments rather than visualizing the nuances of the land—the height, depth, and breadth—with my own eyes. Not on my bucket list for sure.

Believing without seeing, faith, trust, dependence, these words roll off the tongue with eloquent ease, but putting these notions into practice takes time, much rehearsal, and thought.

Just as the pilot had to practice using the instruments in the cockpit to guide the plane to our destination, so we must practice trusting through the fog of not knowing or seeing our next steps. We must learn, through planned and careful experiences ordained by God, to trust our Sovereign Savior when we can’t see our next steps or find our way.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says,

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Staying connected with the Lord is essential to trusting. God’s Word, prayer, and the direction of the Holy Spirit guides us step by step, but we must continually seek God’s face and His heart with greater fervency than we seek to know His plan.

As we look to His Word, spend time in communion with our Savior, as we listen and wait for the leading of the Spirit, His presence must become more important to us than His power to reveal His plan. Delighting in Him must bring us greater joy than the destiny that awaits us. Sitting with the Savior must be paramount to discovering His solutions to our greatest needs.

Just before our plane touched down, the fog lifted, our vision cleared, and our surroundings came into perfect view. But for those few moments—as we flew blind—we trusted through the fog. What relief, and in all honesty, how exhilarated I felt as we landed.

When the unknown, unseen situations of our lives come into perfect view, that same exhilaration permeates our being. All because, with boldness, we have believed in faith, rested in the peace of God, and experienced the joy of a journey well-travelled. All this because we trusted in the sovereignty of a Savior—we trusted through the fog.

Blessings,

Jacqueline Heider
Director of Women’s Ministry, Prayer and First Impressions